What You Can Accomplish When You Choose to be Great

Jim Collins, well-known author of Built to Last and Good to Great has just published another business block buster entitled "Great by Choice." Just the title probably says it all.

As a marketer in the world of public accounting, it has been obvious for a long time that great firms don't just happen along. They work at it. They choose to be great - and in doing so they identify, embrace and implement policies that distinguish them from their competitors. Research done by Jean Marie Caragher and Rick Telberg points to some of the common characteristics of firms that lead versus those that lag in our industry. Underlying the key attributes to success is a firm's desire to do what it takes to be great.

For those firms that believe they can skate along, maintaining a status quo, giving lackluster support to marketing and business development - here is a wake up call. Not moving forward inherently means moving backward - while everyone around you continues to progress as you stay rooted in mediocrity. If you want to be great - you will need to choose to be so. In making that choice you will need to look to the team members who can craft a strategy that will help you achieve your goals.

And by the way, don't forget to include your marketer in the mix when you are looking to the firm's leaders for guidance when you choose to be GREAT!